Chapter 35 #3
Clayton couldn’t look at them either, and Mal didn’t blame him. Clayton couldn’t tell them it was okay because it wasn’t. It would probably never be okay. All three of them would bear the scars of the past, but they could make a new future together.
“Then we’ll figure it out together,” Mal announced. “You have me now.”
“Uppies,” Tommy announced, but he didn’t wait for Mal to pick him up. He just climbed him like a tree. Mal supported him with an arm once the boy got settled. Getting climbed was a more efficient method than having Tommy ask to be picked up every five minutes, so Mal allowed it.
“And the magical bazooka Mal’s going to make for me,” Holly said, sounding a little less traumatized and more like her snarky self.
“I like the way you think, kid. I’ll get right on it.” It would be tricky. Making magic act like norm tech was always a challenge, but this would be a fun one.
“Yes!” Holly pumped her fist and spun around.
“What the fuck, Mal?” Eira stormed up to him and drew herself to her full and imposing height of not quite reaching Mal’s waist. “You can’t give children weapons.”
“I don’t see any children here, Eira. I only see warriors,” He replied. Merry and Tommy had gone through two battles and come out the other side safe, and Holly had held back an army almost entirely on her own.
“They shouldn’t have to be warriors,” Eira snarled. She was a fighter, too. Yet another excellent addition to their family.
“I agree with Eira, but—” Clayton covered Mal’s mouth as he tried to argue. “But speaking as the youngest member of the group who got his first battle experience as a toddler, I feel like we might need to find some kind of middle ground.”
“My son is so smart,” Elena said, hooking an arm around Clayton’s neck and giving him a huge kiss on the cheek.
Clayton flushed and said, “R-right. Thanks, m-mum.” He steadied himself and continued. “I don’t think that’s our biggest problem right now, though. We need to decide where to live. I can’t live in the fae realm because, according to Astraea, I’ll de-age if I do.
“However, Tommy and Merry can’t live in the Real because they’ll start to age rapidly like I did.
Merry has grown an inch in the six weeks I’ve had her, and Tommy has gotten visibly taller, too.
I’d just passed it off as a growth spurt, but looking back, I don’t think children from the Real grow that fast.
“If so, that means they’re already being affected. They can’t stay with me—” Clayton’s voice broke off, and he reached out to grab Mal’s hand.
“No! We’re staying with Wynwyn!” Merry cried out, and Tommy flailed in Mal’s arms, trying to reach Clayton.
Merry clung to Clayton, and Mal transferred Tommy to the deck so he could cling to Clayton as well. “I don’t think they’re having it, Red.”
Clayton’s eyes reddened. “I’m sorry, I can’t do that to you guys. I love you, but I can’t.”
“Come and live with us then. Would being a child be that bad?” Naerith asked.
“Unless you erase my memories, I’ll never be able to be a child, and I’d never consent to that. There are some things I’m not willing to give up.” Clayton held up his and Mal’s clasped hands.
Mal kissed their overlapping fingers and said, “Thank you, Red. I’d wait for you, but I’d miss you.” Something in his core felt soft and unusual at Clayton’s announcement. It felt nice.
“Mum, Dad, can you two take care of Merry and Tommy?” Tears were streaming down Clayton’s face, but he smiled through it, as if as long as he tried hard enough, he’d convince himself he was fine with his choice.
Elena stroked her son’s face. “Carwyn, baby, of course we will, but there has to be another way. I don’t want you to age and die in the Real. I can’t lose you so quickly after missing out on your childhood. The universe owes us.”
Elena’s eyes were fierce and half feral, and Mal wondered if she was going to need a body to start stabbing again. He might need to pop out and find one because the royal guard had carried what was left of Kendric’s body away with the rest of the prisoners.
“I think I can offer a solution,” Here interjected.
Clayton perked up, clearly ready to grasp at any lifeline he could find. “What’s your solution, Here?”
“Being hijacked was an incredibly unpleasant experience for me. I would prefer it never happen again, and you need somewhere to live outside of the fae realm and the Real. I propose you live inside me. If you keep your visits to each realm brief and stay in each place in equal amounts to the other, you should be fine.”
“How do you know this?” Clayton asked.
Here’s misty face was reminiscent of a frown emoji. “I’m a magical being over a billion years old. You pick up on things after a while.”
“I’m not sure how I feel about being invited to live inside a guy I just met. It’s giving major stranger-danger vibes,” Holly said, eyes narrowed.
“You can trust it,” Mal said.
“How do you know?”
“Because it knows what will happen if anything happens to any of you. Right?” Mal allowed Here to see his true self in his eyes for a brief moment.
Here gave a misty-sounding humph and said, “There’s no need for threats, Mal. I know exactly what you are. Why do you think I’m making the invitation? I’m offering to tie my life to yours for the safety of us all.”
“So, you’re asking to be a part of our family?” Merry asked. “Are you an orphan too?”
Here’s form stilled, and its facial features faded into nothing, leaving behind a blank, vaguely head-shaped bit of mist. “I suppose you could say that.”
“Clayton, can we stay?” Merry’s eyes were devastatingly huge.
“Please, Clayton, please! We want to stay with you!” Tommy held Clayton’s leg so tightly that it was as if he was trying to meld with Clayton’s body.
Merry and Tommy both cried and pulled on Clayton’s clothes.
“He’s an orphan like us. Here needs a home too!” Merry’s eyes glistened wetly, and Mal was certain she was giving the performance of her lifetime.
Clayton looked to Mal and Eira, and they both shrugged. The decision was entirely Clayton’s. It was his family. They were just the lucky fucks who got to benefit from it.
“I guess we’re staying. Us strays have to stick together, right?” Clayton gave his family a soft smile.
Merry and Tommy’s cheers would have been deafening if Mal’s ears hadn’t been constructs. Clayton, being at ground zero, however, had to cover his ears and wince.
“I brought more crumpets, but there’s some smoke in the kitchen. Someone should go check on that,” Grampy said as he came out onto the deck. His hat was smoldering, but he smiled grandly as he held out a platter.
Mal hurried to take the platter and extinguished the fire on Grampy’s hat with a thought, replacing it with a new, identical hat, sans flames.
“Those are pancakes, not crumpets,” Clayton stated loudly.
Unfazed, Grampy asked, “I don’t want to alarm anyone, but did you notice we’re in a cave now?”
“It’s our new home,” Mal said.
A beautiful smile broke out on Grampy’s face. “Wonderful! I prefer to live underground. Water and kirians don’t mix well, you see.”
Mal nodded. “I’ll give you a tour after we eat.”
“Please let me know if there’s anything you need to feel more at home,” Here said.
“Hey, look at you. You’re a very misty fellow, aren’t you?” Grampy pointed out.
“Can we have a garden?” Holly asked.
“Can we have a patch of sunlight for the garden?” Eira asked.
“Can I have a unicorn?” Merry jumped in, tears gone and ready to make her case for another big score.
“I can do the first two, but creating sentient creatures is difficult,” Here said.
“I’ll make you one, kitten,” Mal offered. He was bursting with energy. One dumb little unicorn wasn’t going to affect him much. It wasn't like it needed to be useful or anything.
He focused the space between his hands and thought. A cute little unicorn for Merry.
It took a while, and Merry had gotten bored and wandered away to explore their new home, but eventually, Mal had something he was proud of.
“You are not giving her that,” Clayton stated bluntly, giving the baby unicorn a hesitant poke.
“He’s adorable. She’ll love him.”
“It’s horrifying and will give her nightmares.”
Mal got up in Clayton’s space and whispered, “I’ll give you nightmares.”
Clayton flushed. “Well, I like nightmares. Merry doesn’t.”
Mal pulled away with an easy grin and said, “Let's see what Merry thinks.”
Mal dragged Clayton and his new creation over to where Merry was dictating to Here about where the new garden should go, while Holly loudly overrode her.
Merry was close to having a fit when Mal shoved the unicorn in front of her. “Here you go, kid. One unicorn. I hope you like him.”
Merry blinked at the cat-sized creature in Mal’s hands. He was roughly a foot and a half tall, had glowing blue flames for a mane and tail, and the rest of his body was made of a tangible, shadow-like substance.
“He has fangs?” Merry asked.
“Little girls like fangs, right?” Mal asked Clayton in a whisper.
Clayton huffed and ignored him.
Merry stared at the unicorn expressionlessly for a long time before finally saying, “He’s… perfect. He’s absolutely perfect, Mal! I love him! Thank you!” She hugged Mal, crushing the unicorn between them and stabbing Mal in the stomach with his horn.
“You’re welcome, kid.” He turned to give Clayton a see, I told you so speech, but Clayton was busy shouting, “Don’t let it burn you, Merry!”
“Relax. He won’t burn things unless she wants him to.”
“Why would she want it to?”
“What if someone attacks her? Or maybe she’ll want to roast marshmallows, I don’t know. Kids like to burn things, Red. Get with the program.”
“You’re going to be a terrible father.”
“I’m going to be a fun father,” Mal corrected.
They watched the little unicorn run around the cavern, slamming into things and getting his horn stuck in whatever he slammed into.
“Keep it away from people, Merry!” Clayton yelled.
“Okay!” Merry shouted back, immediately chasing the creature toward Elena.
“Wow, you really made that thing useless, didn’t you?” Clayton remarked after the third time the unicorn tripped and fell for no reason.
“Is he useless if he makes her happy?”
Merry held the unicorn up in the air and announced, “I’m naming you Mister Stabby!”
“Of course you are,” Clayton muttered under his breath. “You’re in charge of fixing everything and everyone this thing breaks, Mal.”
Mal watched as Mister Stabby rammed Naerith’s ankle and set fire to his pants. “Worth it.”
“It is,” Clayton said, and Mal realized he wasn’t watching the show. Clayton was talking about him. “You’re worth it. No matter what happens, I chose you.”
“You’re gonna make me blush, Red. You’re really going to take my side against your dreamwalkers?”
“Whatever it takes,” Clayton said simply.
“I love you too, Red.”
“Don’t be sappy.” Clayton planted a quick kiss on Mal’s mouth and then chased after Merry and Mister Stabby as they set fire to every flammable thing in sight.
Good unicorn. He was exactly as fierce as Mal would be if anything tried to take his family.
Mal was going to be a great father.